In recent years there has been an increasing emphasis on physical fitness. Pedaling against a resistance such as encountered during bicycle riding is a particularly effective mode of physical exercise. In order to enable one to gain the benefits of pedaling without requiring one to go outdoors various stationary bicycle exercising devices are commercially available. Typical of such devices are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,578,800, issued May 8, 1971; 3,572,699, issued Mar. 30, 1971; and 4,007,927, issued Feb. 15, 1977. These devices function very effectively for physical fitness but have the disadvantage that they are bulky and primarily stationary, which limits the place in which they can be used. Portable exercise devices have been suggested. Typical of such devices are those shown in the following U.S. Patents: No. 4,225,130, issued Sept. 30, 1980 to J. Zimmerman; No. 3,751,033, issued Aug. 7, 1973 to W. Rosenthal. Also such exercise devices for use with conventional chairs are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,512, issued Sept. 18, 1973, to A. Yount; No. 2,668,709, issued Feb. 9, 1954 to R. Boyko; No. 3,968,963, issued July 13, 1976; and No. 4,222,376, issued Sept. 16, 1980 to L. Praprotnik. Further, a stool type apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,664, issued May 13, 1969, to J. Frassanito et al. All of these devices require rigid connection to the chair and are bulky as are many of the conventional static bicycle devices.
One of the greatest problems to overcome in promoting the continuous use of such devices is boredom. In order to obtain the necessary exercise, a considerable length of time has to be spent in one location and day after day. It is apparent therefore that it would be desirable to have a truly portable device which could be moved from place to place easily allowing different environments for its use, thereby allowing substantial reduction in the boredom factor.